There are some problems the schools cause by poor practices, and can fix, and others they are blamed for that are really not of their making, but perhaps can help to fix anyway.
Some students are turned off early on by finding something too hard, and not getting the proper help soon enough.
We can do better, and we need to start at a young age, and keep it up through the school years. Learning can not always be fun, because sometimes it is hard, but it can always be satisfying and a source of pride. I think that attituder is more important than any teaching techniques or curriculum changes.
Let me say that I see many kids who work hard, and expect their effort to lead to a good life, which I believe it will.
But I see others who feel that no matter how hard they work, they will not get the rewards, and too often this is true for them, and we need to fix it. Changes in our economy and our society have been hard for a lot of people, but much harder for some groups. We need to be able to show kids that there is something in it for them. I have been involved with career day (or week) programs that brought people into the school to talk about what they do, and I think this could be useful at all ages from elementary through high school.
Other students feel that no matter how little they do, someone will make it alright for them, because someone always has. They are in for a nasty awakening, and we need to fix that too. I find these the most discouraging, and think other teachers do too. They are key players in "the game of school" cycle.
Nothing is interesting enough to interest them, because they are too cool to be interested. They are part of a larger problem, the low value placed on education by many people. I see that every day, and it is not confined to any ethnic or economic group. I was raised in a family that placed very high value on education, both for job prospects and for general satisfaction in life, and in later life I was well served in both areas by having an education. How anyone can think otherwise is beyond me, but there they are.
In a recent sub job, I taught math in a room normally used for social studies. They had a collection of photographs of New England mills from around 1900, all filled with kids working the machines, younger than the kids in my class. Some a lot younger.
Since no one wanted to do math, I decided we would talk about the photographs. Why are these kids working? Why are you in school instead? Who do you think made the laws change? What will you do for a living? What do you know how to do? How much do you think someone will pay for that skill?
At least it made them uncomfortable, and I think that was a good start.
There are some problems the schools cause by poor practices, and can fix, and others they are blamed for that are really not of their making, but perhaps can help to fix anyway.
Some students are turned off early on by finding something too hard, and not getting the proper help soon enough.
We can do better, and we need to start at a young age, and keep it up through the school years. Learning can not always be fun, because sometimes it is hard, but it can always be satisfying and a source of pride. I think that attituder is more important than any teaching techniques or curriculum changes.
Let me say that I see many kids who work hard, and expect their effort to lead to a good life, which I believe it will.
But I see others who feel that no matter how hard they work, they will not get the rewards, and too often this is true for them, and we need to fix it. Changes in our economy and our society have been hard for a lot of people, but much harder for some groups. We need to be able to show kids that there is something in it for them. I have been involved with career day (or week) programs that brought people into the school to talk about what they do, and I think this could be useful at all ages from elementary through high school.
Other students feel that no matter how little they do, someone will make it alright for them, because someone always has. They are in for a nasty awakening, and we need to fix that too. I find these the most discouraging, and think other teachers do too. They are key players in "the game of school" cycle.
Nothing is interesting enough to interest them, because they are too cool to be interested. They are part of a larger problem, the low value placed on education by many people. I see that every day, and it is not confined to any ethnic or economic group. I was raised in a family that placed very high value on education, both for job prospects and for general satisfaction in life, and in later life I was well served in both areas by having an education. How anyone can think otherwise is beyond me, but there they are.
In a recent sub job, I taught math in a room normally used for social studies. They had a collection of photographs of New England mills from around 1900, all filled with kids working the machines, younger than the kids in my class. Some a lot younger.
Since no one wanted to do math, I decided we would talk about the photographs. Why are these kids working? Why are you in school instead? Who do you think made the laws change? What will you do for a living? What do you know how to do? How much do you think someone will pay for that skill?
At least it made them uncomfortable, and I think that was a good start.